The books in this section are usually hardcover and in decent shape, though we'll sometimes offer hard-to-find books in lesser condition at a reduced price. Though we often put images of the book with their original dust jackets, the copies here won't always (or even often) have them. If that is important to you, please call ahead or say so in the order comments!
Any time is storytime in the islands of the Caribbean. "Crick Crack," begins the narrator, and those who listen reply, "Break my back." No one knows who first began a Crick Crack tale with these words. This is how it was long, long ago, and how it must be today.
When the sun is high in the sky, farmers rest their weary muscles and listen to the story of foolish Tiger Cat and why he lives in shame outside the village. When the night breeze blows in from the mountains and the sugar cane rustles softly, boys and girls sit in a circle and laugh about the antics of clever Booby Bird and how he tricked the audacious Frigate Bird.
Crick Crack stories are animal stories that reveal how and why things are as they are in the world. As a child growing up in the West Indies, Philip Sherlock heard these tales, and now, from the rich folklore he knows so well, he has selected six of them. He retells them as only a master of the storyteller's art can: imaginatively, with all the warmth and excitement of the spoken story.
Gioia Fiammenghi's illustrations capture perfectly the sly humor and simple beauty of this distinguished collection.
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